The Immortal Challenge Lineup - Game #13 Egypt

All games in this series will be set to IMMORTAL difficulty. User civilizations, maps, and opponents will change each game, but the pace will always be set at standard and the starting era will always be ancient. We will try for a variety of starts, and not just having a crazy warmonger as your next door neighbor (although there will be that too). This isn't a competition so there will be no predefined victory conditions. New challenges in the series will be posted every other Wednesday.

Who can play?
Anybody can play. The more the merrier. Even if you normally don't play immortal games you are still welcome to try. The games can become great learning resources for the player trying to improve. Even if you don't finish the game, we are still interested to hear about your experience.

Do's and Don'ts
We are going to be using the honor system. Feel free to restart, reload, play the same game multiple times, but don't use the science overflow exploit. Also please don't edit the game in IGE. If you do chose to cheat, please don't share your results in the comments. Also, please use the spoiler tag if you post a picture, comment about neighboring civs, close by wonders, or locations of ancient ruins.

Also, please tell us about your Build Order, Social Policies, Tech Order, and what type of wonders you went after. I know a lot of this stuff seems pretty mundane to the experienced player, but the details are incredibly useful to people trying to learn.

Future Games in the Series
I want users to submit saves from turn 0. Preferably the person submitting the game has played enough turns to know the map is either difficult, fun, or unique in some enjoyable way. Write a short description as to why it is special and email the save to immortalchallengelineup@gmail.com

Important
If you submit a game for the challenge, you must have the DLC map packs disabled. Not everybody has them and they are honestly kind of useless. Having them disabled will allow more participants.

This does look WONDERful. I'll settle in place. Many different early game plans to try.

GL T30 and bulb Philo. (Ruin gave me writing the turn I started it. Ruin gave me pop, ruin gave me faith for wine pantheon, ruin gave me maps for more ruins. Ruin gave me pop.

BO: Scout, Scout, Monument, GL, now NC. NC will be done no later than T45. Likely earlier as I just mugged Samarkand for their worker and think I can get home and build a quarry in time to help

SP: Tradition, Aristocracy (yes WONDERS).

NC T43, TOA T55, Oracle T68 (tradition was completed T66), am just buying my settlers with loads of income from trading wine.

Halicarnassus turn 50, Temple Artemis turn 78, National College Turn 87, Oracle turn 94. Lost Hanging Gardens by 3 turns
Turn 100, going pretty decent. Not far behind in science, Education should be done by 115 it appears. Went for +1 Faith/Culture for Wine...naturally. Religion took Sowrds into Plowshares to go with Temple Artemis. Quickly running out of food tiles to work.
Looking like culture game, Siam forwarded settled a bit and Theodora big time but I'm super friendly with both. Being stuck up in a corner I'm not too worried about wars this game.

Got all theming wonders possible (except for SoH since I didn't have a coastal city) and filled them all.
Ridiculous amount of early game wonders too.
4 digit tourism without IG, 4 digit culture with WF.
No GM tours. ZERO. NO GS bulb except for one at the very end.

Noticeable thing: AI tech non-existent. Military CS allies were enough to prevent anyone from attacking... (unless they want to send in their gatlings VS my marines...)
Diplomacy non-existent, got chain-denounced (everyone covets my wonders-duh!) and never DoW'd. Actually tried not to end the game too fast by ignoring routes and diplomats; was having too much fun

Big Ben
Borobudur
Broadway
CN Tower
Cristo Redentor
Eiffel Tower
Globe Theatre
Great Library
Hagia Sophia
Hanging Gardens
Pisa
Louvre
Mausoleum
Notre Dame
Oracle
Parthenon
Porcelain Tower
Red Fort
Sistine
SoL
ToA
Uffizi


Settled here


Stole 3 workers and plundered 2 caravans from Byzantium.


Bah, GL to Philosophy is too boring (everyone does that!) GL to DRAMA and PARTHENON!


Monasteries got taken; ignored early shrine and pantheon but built Hagia Sophia. Early on did not work too much wine so took sun god (and also thinking of south city with citrus)


Too bad it had to end... I wanted to get historical landmarks and see how high the tourism numbers can be pushed.


Historical Landmarks bumped it up to over 1200! No IG necessary!


Only probably with Egypt + Marble + non-deity.

I was going to try for a Sacred Sites Strategy but once again I do not have a good concept of how to make it work. I decided to just go Full Liberty instead. I did get into Piety with Oracle being built.

Tech Order: Pott,Free Writing, Cal, Mining, Mason, AH, Arch, Wheel, Philo, Math, Curr, Trap, Sail, Drama, Theo, Horse Riding, Civil Service, Education, Beeline to Physics, Beeline to Printing Press, Banking (stole), Beeline to Architecture, Steal (stole), Economics, Scientific Theory, Optics, Compass, Industry, Electricity, Radio.

Capital Build Order: 2xScout, Mon, Set, 1 Turn Misclick Gran, Stonehenge, Gran, Library, Pyramids, Water Mill, NC, Settler, Oracle, Writers Guild, Shrine, Borobudur (fail), Hagia Sophia (fail), Burial Tomb, NE, University, Garden, Caravan, Workshop, Artist Guild, Pisa, PT, Grand Temple, Worlds Fair.

Religion: Panth Festivals t31 , Enhanced: Tithe, Pagodas t53, Enahnced: Divine Inspiration, Rel Texts t73. Enhanced Reformation: Rel Fervor - t137.

Social Policies: Liberty - Citizen, Republic, Col Rule, Merit, Representation. GE for the finisher and marched him Shark Diver style to 3rd Expo (Elephantine) to Rush Petra.

Piety - Organized Religion, Theo, Rel Tolerance, Reformation (Fervor), I decided to go into Rationalism to Secularism before finishing, Mandate of Heaven.

I got some loan gold to rush 3 Factories. Turn 187 I adopted Order and chose Hero of the People and Socialist Realism.

Era Reached: Classical - t72, Medieval - t102, Renaissance - t150, Industrial - t181, Modern - t202

Wonders: NC - t82, Stonehenge - t44, Pyramids - t67, Petra - t89(expo), Oracle - t94, Great Mosque of Djenne - t123 (expo), Pisa - t163 (GS), Taj Mahal - t180 (expo), PT - 181, Grand Temple - t194, EIC - t200

Benchmarks: Philosophy - t72, Education - t121, Scientific Theory - t175, Radio - t202,

World Congress: I purposed WF and Shoshone purposed his Religion as the worlds and they both got passed. I didn't have a good choice for the next vote so I purposed Cult Heritage Sites and the Shoshone have purposed Arts Funding.

Write Up: Slow and simple. I went with a 3 city NC and planted the 4th city with my GE to rush Petra. I DOWed The Celts to get 100 gold from a Caravan and stayed at war for some time having to make peace later for wine/2gpt. I decided to DOW Kyzyl as well but only got 1 worker. I decided to give them peace since all the Civs I met went Tradition and I built the Pyramids giving 2 workers. Siam had all the other CS's under protection.

I completed some quests to get some friends and I have had Florence as an ally for some time now. I put the Celts at war with Siam and will continue to do so. I am playing pretty peaceful for now but hope to get into some wars later. I am having some fun with this game trying to get a grasp on how to record statistics.

Byzantine and Siam have been DOFs most of the game.

Turns 101-200

I still have kept DOFs with Siam and Byzantine. Germany and Shoshone have also joined in the circle and I got 1 RA with the Shoshone. I have been pretty much working on building and keeping the CS's around me. I plan to use Religious Fervor to Faith Buy a bunch of units and press into Siam and take his Capital along with Edinburgh since Siam smashed the Celts. Mongolia found genocide by way of the Shoshone. I may take Theodora's Capital as well since she has a few nice Wonders.

I had some early trouble with growth, but at T170 the cap is up to 20 pop. Stupid mistake: I put Sistine in cap but all guilds in second city. Doh! As usual my science is low, I will get Architecture in a few turns. Globe/Pisa just went up in my cities.

I had no real plan of what I was going to do. I was playing too peaceful for too long and when I waited 14 turns for my DOF to expire with Siam. I think that may have been a mistake, I probably should of got the war started earlier but since I am used to Deity play I forget Immortal is easier to Warmonger.

A quick recap of the last 115 turns. I basically started to build Atomic Bombs and Paratroopers after I finished Hubble on Turn 262. I started the Olympics a little too late and lost by about 100 hammers. I pressed my Army into Siam, Shoshone, Germany, Spain, and back into Shoshone after a peace deal. I did not think I was going to try for Domination VC but I decided to just take all the Capitals in the very late turns. If I would of committed to Domination earier I would of finished pre 300 but my lazy approach pushes me over 300 turns yet again.

Picking up the Stats from turn 201-315!

Tech Order: After Radio, Gunpowder, Metallurgy, Rifle, Chemistry (stolen), Steam Power, Fertilizer, Replacement Parts (Ratio Finisher), Plastics (Oxford), Beeline to Railroad, Beeline to Satellites, Atomic Theory, Nuclear Fission, Beeline to Nanotech (Xcoms!), I stole 3 more techs... Astronomy, Navigation, and Archeology, Beeline to Stealth.

B.O. - After winning the WF we moved onto... Aqueduct, 6 Turns into Hydro Plant, Oxford, Finish Hydro Plant, Barracks, Armory, 3x Artillery, Lancer, Infantry, Olympics, Hubble, 2x Atomic Bomb, 3x Paratrooper, More Atomic Bombs and finished with a few Xcoms in the Capital.

Religion: I never tried Fervor before and I really didn't like it. I found the units were too expensive even though I bought an Xcom for 4000 faith and a few Artillery earlier for 1500 faith my conclusion is that Great People are the better play and I wished I would of had chosen To the Glory of God instead being able to Faith Buy any Great Person! It was nice to learn that for next time!

Social Policies: Winning Worlds Fair pushed this along pretty fast. I decided to get into Worker Factories first and after that I completed Rationalism.

Back into Order with Pioneers, 5 yr Plan, Spaceflight, After that I opened up Commerce, and back into Order for some Happy with Universal Health Care and Academy of Science, back into Commerce for Wagon Trains.

Order was not the popular choice this game since the Civs were pretty balanced with 2 into Freedom, 3 into Autocracy and Spain went with Order as well. The Mongols did not survive long enough to choose.

Era Reached: Atomic - t 244, Info - t256


Benchmarks: Plastics - t218, Satellites - t257, NanoTech t305.

Wonders: Machu Picchu was captured on turn 257,

Constantinople Fell on turn 264 and had 11 Wonders... AW, Broadway, Colossus, Cristo, Eiffel, Globe Theatre, Great Lighthouse, HG, Louvre, SoL, ToA.

Sukhothai Falls on turn 279 with 5 Wonders... Big Ben, Itza, Him Castle, Red Fort, & Uffizi.

Edinburgh Falls on turn 284 with 5 Wonders... Borobudur, Great Library, HS, Parthenon, & Sistine Chapel.

Berlin Falls on turn 301 with 3 Wonders... Alhambra, MoH, SoZ.

Madrid Falls on turn 307 with the Great Wall only.

Karakorum Falls on turn 310 with only Prora but that is nice since I do not have Autocracy.

Moson Kahni Falls on turn 315 to 3 Nukes, 1 Rocket Artillery, & 4 Xcoms... 3 Wonders inside - Brand Gate, For Palace, &
Notre Dame.

World Congress: I tried to get Order passed a few times and finally got it on the 3rd try. Shoshone tried to Embargo me but failed. I put the Olympics into action and the rest was irrelevant but I need to record that better. Porcelain and Oranges got banned and +3 culture for Wonders was accepted as well. Space Station was in effect but the World was dominated before it finished.

Highest Stats for: SPT +1414, GPT +530, Happy +42, CPT +525, TPT +81, FPT +158.

Total empire

Thebes, and my wonders..


and my petra city

Given the start and the immortal AI I'm pretty sure I could've been more ambitious and ended up with ~30 if I'd decided to settle cities close to mountains/coast. In hindsight making a Petra city in the east was quite possible as it did not go for quite a while...